Rolling machine for forming centerless rolled blankets



Nov. 24, 1964 B. A. CASH ROLLING MACHINE Foa FORMING cENTERL-Ess ROLLED BLANKETS 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Feb. 28, 1965 Tmrlwlmlllll Nov. 24, 1964 B. A. CASH ROLLING MACHINE Foa .FORMING cENTERLEss ROLLED .BLANKETS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 28, 1963 INVENTOR.

? 7'70 RNE YS United States Patent O 3,158,334 RLLING MACHNE FOR FGRMING CENTER- LESS RLLED BLANKETS Burns A. Cash, Madison, Wis., assigner to the United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Air Force Filed Feb. 28, 1963, Ser. No. 261,916 3 Claims. (Ci. 2142-5441) This invention provides a useful method and means for rolling and packaging blankets of loose fibrous material such as yarn or chaff or organic, metallic or ceramic composition.

When loose fibrous material in the form of a blanket is wound or rolled on a spool or hub, the layers of material disposed nearest the center of the spool are increasingly compressed and stressed by the application of successive layers of windings. A blanket rolled by this method results in a product which is nonuniform when unrolled.

The primary object of the invention, to be illustrated, is to provide a machine for rolling blank material into a roll in which the successive windings are uniformly compacted.

Another object of this invention is to provide a machine for rolling blanket material without the use of a spool or hub.

A further object of this invention is to provide a method of rolling a blanket of loose fibrous material into a uniformly compacted roll.

Additional objects, advantages and features of the invention reside in the construction, arrangement and combination of parts involved in the embodiment of the invention as will appear from the following description and accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. l is a plan View of the machine and showing a portion of the blanket of loose fibrous material which is being rolled;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the machine showing the relationship between machine elements and the flat blanket material before forming the blanket into a roll, and

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary view of the machine similar to FIG. 2 and showing the blanket material nearly formed into a completed roll.

Referring to the drawings, the machine referred to generally as rolling machine 16, is supported on guide means displaced a convenient distance above and parallel to the top of a substantially plane horizontal surface such as the top of bench 14. The guide means may conveniently be a track comprising two rails 12 supported on the bench by means of supports 13. lf desired, the rails may be supported from the floor or may be suspended from the ceiling.

The rolling machine has a frame 16 supporting axle pins 17 which rotatably carry the support or idler wheels 18. The wheels engage with the track and give the machine rolling support for linear movement on the track. An outer stabilizing plate 16a, joined to the outer ends of the axle pins 17 on each side of the machine, render stability and help keep the pins in proper fixed alignment.

A winding drum 20, of width equal to or greater than the rolled blanket to be formed, is rotatably supported on the mid portion of shaft 24 for rotation normal to the linear movement of the machine. The drum may be mounted on suitable antifriction bearings and axially located on the shaft by stop collars or other means well known to the art. Joined to one end of drum 20 is drive gear 22 which is shown as a worm gear.

Shaft 24 is journaled at each end in suitable antifriction bearings 25 carried by frame elements as shown on Fice FIG. 1. Engaging with and driving worm gear 22 is worm shaft 26 driven by reversible electric motor 28 which is mounted on bracket 28a joined to the frame 16. The free end of worm shaft 26 is journaled in an antifriction bearing 29 carried by a frame element as shown. It is noted that the drum may be rotated on shaft 24 without causing the rolling machine 10 to move on the track.

A drive wheel 30 is joined to each end of shaft 24 in such position as to engage track 12. Likewise, a gear such as worm gear 32 is joined to .the shaft. Engaging with and driving worm gear 32 is a worm shaft 34, which, in turn, is driven by reversible electric motor 36 which is mounted on bracket 36a joined to the frame 16. The free end of worm shaft 34 is journaled in an antifriction bearing 37 carried by a frame element as shown. It is noted that with the arrangement as described, the drum 20 may be rotated with the balance of the machine stationary on the track; or the machine.may be moved on the track with the drum remaining stationary; or the drum may be caused to rotate while the machine is moving on the track.

A fiat ductile belt such as fabric belt 38, lying -on the bench top 14, has one end clamped to the bench by means of clamp 40, with the opposite end joined to the winding drum as shown. The initial relationship between machine and belt is shown on FIG. 1 and FIG. 2.

In operation, a piece of flat ductile backing material such as kraft paper 42, having a layer of fibrous material 44 spread lover its upper surface, is placed on the fabric belt as best shown on FIG. 2. The machine is then caused to move forward (to the right on the drawings) on the track while the winding drum is caused to rotate counterclockwise to thereby shorten the unwound portion of the belt. The relative speeds between track movement and drum rotation may be programmed n manners not comprising a portion of the present invention, and which are well known to the art. As the machine is in operation, the blanket is rolled upon itself much as a floor carpet is rolled. As shown on FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the fabric belt is convolutely folded behind the drum to provide a travelling enclosure or loop 38a which rollsy the blanket into a uniformly. stressed package with inter-layers of kraft paper between successive layers of fibrous material. The roll, which was formed without `the use of a center member such 4as a hub or spool, may be retained in the rolled form by gluing the final end of the paper onto the rolled structure.

It is to be understood that the embodiment of the present invention as shown and described is to be regarded as illustrative only and that the invention is' susceptible to variations, modifications and changes within the scope of the appended claims.

l claim:

l. A rolling machine for centerless rolling a blanket formed of fibrous material spread on a fiat ductile backing material, said machine being linearly movable on guides in fixed relationship to a substantially plane horizontal surface and comprising: a frame, a plurality of wheels rotatably joined to said frame and supporting said machine, means for moving said machine along said guides, a winding drum for rotation normal to the linear movement of said machine along said guides and journaled in said frame to provide a predetermined clearance between the bottom of said winding drum and the said plane horizontal surface, means for rotating said winding drum, and a flat ductile belt having one end joined to said winding drum and having the other end joined to said plane horizontal surface; said belt initially providing a flat surface for receiving said blanket and having a convolute loop rearward of said winding drum as the machine moves forward to roll the blanket in the loop portion of said belt as the said winding drum winds the said belt onto itself.

2. A rolling machine for centerless rolling a blanket Vformed of fibrous material spread on a fiat ductile backing material, said machine being linearly movable on guides in fixed relationship to a substantially plane horizontal surface and comprising: a frame, a plurality of wheels rotatably joined to said frame and supporting said machine, a shaft journaled in said frame for rotation normal to the linear movement of said machine, at lea-st one drive wheel joined to said shaft, means for rotating said shaft to produce linear movement of said machine, a winding drum rotatably supported for independent rotation on said shaft, said winding drum having a predetermined clearance above said plane horizontal surface, means for rotating said winding drum, and a ilat ductile belt having one end joined to said winding drum and having the other end'joined to said plane Vhorizontal surface; said belt initially providing a flat surface for receiving said blanket and having a convolute loop rearward 'of said winding drum as the machine moves forward to roll the blanket in the loop portion of said belt as the said winding drum winds the said belt onto itself.

3. A rolling machine for centerless rolling a blanket formed of fibrous material Vspread on a flat ductile backing material, said machine being movably supported for linear movementby a two railrtrack above and parallel to a substantially plane horizontal surface on a bench or the like, and comprising: a frame, a plurality of idler wheels rotatably joined to opposing ends on said frame and supporting said machine on said track, a shaft journaled in antifriction bearings in said frame for rotation normal to the linear movement of said machine, a drive wheel joined to each end of said shaft and engaging the rails of said track, a gear joined to said shaft, a first reversible drive means mounted on said frame and engaging said gear for moving said machine on said track, a winding drum rotatably supported for independent rotation on said shaft, said winding drum having a predetermined clearance above said plane horizontal surface, a drive gear joined to one end of said winding drum, a second reversible drive means mounted on said frame and engaging said drive 'gear for rotating said winding drum independent of the movement of said machine on said track, and a flat ductile belt having one endk joined to the circumferenceof said winding drum and having the other end joined to said plane horizontal-surface; said belt initially providing a flat surface in contact with said plane horizontal surface for receiving said blanket and having a convolute loop rearward of said winding drum as the machine moves forward to roll the blanket in the loop portion of said belt as the said winding drum winds the -said belt onto itself.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,662,577 3/28 Johnson 242-782 2,830,775 4/58 Kiesel 242-56 MERVIN STEIN, Primary Examiner. 

1. A ROLLING MACHINE FOR CENTERLESS ROLLING A BLANKET FORMED OF FIBROUS MATERIAL SPREAD ON A FLAT DUCTILE BACKING MATERIAL, SAID MACHINE BEING LINEARLY MOVABLE ON GUIDES IN FIXED RELATIONSHIP TO A SUBSTANTIALLY PLANE HORIZONTAL SURFACE AND COMPRISING: A FRAME, A PLURALITY OF WHEELS ROTATABLY JOINED TO SAID FRAME AND SUPPORTING SAID MACHINE, MEANS FOR MOVING SAID MACHINE ALONG SAID GUIDES, A WINDING DRUM FOR ROTATION NORMAL TO THE LINEAR MOVEMENT OF SAID MACHINE ALONG SAID GUIDES AND JOURNALED IN SAID FRAME TO PROVIDE A PREDETERMINED CLEARANCE BETWEEN THE BOTTOM OF SAID WINDING DRUM AND THE SAID PLANE HORIZONTAL SURFACE, MEANS FOR ROTATING SAID WINDING DRUM, AND A FLAT DUCTILE BELT HAVING ONE END JOINED TO SAID WINDING DRUM AND HAVING THE OTHER END JOINED TO SAID PLANE HORIZONTAL SURFACE; SAID BELT INITIALLY PROVIDING A FLAT SURFACE FOR RECEIVING SAID BLANKET AND HAVING A CONVOLUTE LOOP REARWARD OF SAID WINDING DRUM AS THE MACHINE MOVES FORWARD TO ROLL THE BLANKET IN THE LOOP PORTION OF SAID BELT AS THE SAID WINDING DRUM WINDS THE SAID BELT ONTO ITSELF. 